Avahni hovering several metres in the air, observing Xuanyuan and Jibril fight against the Quiet Death Of Light And Virtue. Wind natured sword waves and fire natured explosions ringing out in the depths of the Hive-Womb Capital, as the two tried their best to resist effects of the blood-night acerodon.

  Despite the size and strength advantage that Itsumade possessed, it was forced to use its Memento Source Item to defend Theodore from stray ranged attacks, occasionally chanting a Spell effect and inflicting a blood-natured damage over time effect onto the fire-souled messenger or homo adonis.

  The elephant-sized summoned companion was surprising flexible even considering how large it was. Its four ears were capable of perceiving the near-imperceptible sounds of the Wind-Void Sword Scripture, and its nose was capable of smelling the ash that Jibril manifested after using its attacks.

  Five-fingered claws often slashed out, almost cleaving Xuanyuan in two in the process.

  Long, almost prehensile tail swinging from side to side, smashing against Jibril’s Knight Ranked Swirling-Inferno Shield. The Virtuous Flame, Grand Creation crashing into the ground with a bang before emerging relatively unharmed thanks to the effects of her Knight Ranked Treasured-Flame Armour.

  The Thunderous-Night Wisteria and Spirit-Abundance Bamboo gifting Jibril with regenerative buffs capable of restoring her natural lifeforce. Although somewhat limited due to their inherent nature as flora-type summoned companions, Tlaloc and Acalan possessed similar abilities to the Earth Reincarnation Womb.

  [Fragment Of Wisteria]

  [Tlaloc; Thunderous-Night Wisteria]

  (Summon, Lightning, Wisteria, Spell, Buff)

  Effect (Mortal): Perform a ritual to summon Tlaloc; Thunderous-Night Wisteria. Tlaloc is a thunder-accumulation wisteria born within the Realm Of Loathsome Yellow. Wisteria dwells within the pancreas after being summoned.

  Tlaloc possesses the ability transfer debilitating effects away from its summoner, up to a maximum threshold. Upon reaching the threshold, Tlaloc grants itself and its summoner instances of [Thunderous Protection] and [Night Wisteria Blessing].

  [Thunderous Protection]: Manifests an impenetrable spiritual shield of lightning natured spiritual energy. [Thunderous Protection] will withstand a single blow before shattering.

  [Night Wisteria Blessing]: Increases mana regeneration. Additional stacks have an additive effect.

  [Fragment Of Bamboo]

  [Acalan; Spirit-Abundance Bamboo]

  (Summon, Wind, Bamboo, Recovery, Buff)

  Effect (Mortal): Perform a ritual to summon Acalan; Spirit-Abundance Bamboo. Acalan is an evergreen-soul bamboo born within the Realm Of Silent Green. Acalan dwells within the diaphragm after being summoned.

  Acalan possesses the ability to connect with the Spirit, storing excess mana regeneration up to a maximum threshold. Acalan is capable of using lifeforce or wind natured spiritual energy into order to cast either [Abundant Blessing] or [Wind-Soul Blessing].

  [Abundant Blessing]: Inflicts a wind-natured recovery-over-time-effect. Wind natured spiritual energy surges within the flesh and spirit, regenerating natural lifeforce. Additional stacks have an additive effect.

  [Wind-Soul Blessing]: Temporarily increases physical speed and agility. Additional stacks have an additive effect.

  Although Avahni wanted to summon Toci; Black-Earth Swamp-Water Cypress to better support Xuanyuan and Jibril, the green-haired woman instead opted to summon another one of her companions. One that could potentially match the outrageous physical strength of the Quiet Death Of Light And Virtue.

  Two summoned companions in fact.

  Earth natured spiritual energy overflowing from her Earth Mana Core.

  [Grendel; Stone Mountain Bulwark].

  [Lenatus; Slithering-Armour Orochi].

  Fragment Of Dragon and Fragment Of Hydra gleaming as two enormous figures manifested themselves before her. Stone-mountain dragon and slithering-armour hydra snarling at Theodore and Itsumade, charging forward with a reckless abandon.

  Grendel and Lenatus were two summoned companions that were both incapable of communicating through words or language. Both the dragon and hydra conveying their emotions and intent to Avahni through images or feelings, although were equally as susceptible to the emotions that their summoner felt as well.

  The Stone-Mountain Bulwark and Slithering-Armour Orochi charged into Itsumade without any concern for the damage inflicted onto their hardened flesh and tempered scales. Both opening their jaws and attempting to chomp down on the blood-night acerodon, forcing Itsumade to punch Grendel into Lenatus.

  The booming sound of dragon crashing into hydra echoed throughout the Hive-Womb Capital. Although Itsumade was capable of inflicting debuffs using his Spell effects, or through his Memento Source Item, it lacked the enhancements that came with a Fragment Of Marrow or Fragment Of Heart.

  Its physical capabilities could have been so much greater, had Theodore merely integrated such a fragment into him at Knighthood.

  His punch, while powerful did not seem to do much to the Stone-Mountain Bulwark, forcing him to retreat backwards as Xuanyuan and Jibril launched simultaneous ranged attacks. More wind slashes and beams of fire crashing against his thick fur.

  His eyeless face glancing in the direction of his summoner.

  “Theodore!” Itsumade shouted, noticing the human move his attention away from Avahni and towards Jon and his puppets fighting on the other side of Raflea and Nicolai’s barriers. His eyes firmly placed on the Hades-Draconian Shadow that fought against the Legionnaire Of Virtuous Pestilence.

  His thoughts and emotions blocked off from connecting with Theodore, an occurrence that annoyed Itsumade to no end.

  ‘Dammit!’

  The blood-night acerodon forced to reposition himself further away from Theodore placing both Grendel and Lenatus between himself, Xuanyuan and Jibril. Without his own methods of ranged offensive damage, he was at risk of being overwhelmed by pure numbers.

  A tactic which Avahni no doubt mimicked from the Voracious Swarm Mother.

  Muscled arms crashing against the scaled-armour form of the Slithering-Armour Orochi. Three-heads snapping at his ears and wings, hoping to tear off his pound of flesh. Itsumade not hesitating for a single moment before gripping two of the heads in both hands, widening his snout and chomping down on the neck of the middle head. Knight Ranked fangs crushing scales and flesh in the process, finding purchase on bone before feeling its victim grow limp beneath it.

  The Quiet Death Of Light And Virtue releasing a horrifying roar as it slammed the two heads of Lenatus together, before kicking it away and hurling it into Tlaloc and Acalan. The slithering-armour hydra, which weighed at least two-to-three tonnes crashed into the Spirit-Abundance Bamboo, causing both to vanish into motes of multicoloured spiritual energy.

  Stolen novel; please report.

  Blood dripping from its fangs as it felt a series of debilitating effects course through its veins and arteries.

  “Acalan! Lenatus!” Avahni shouted, breath hitching as she watched her two companions return to their respective fragments. Feelings of regret and sorrow flowing into her Mental Aquascape from her Fragment Of Bamboo and Fragment Of Hydra.

  Despite feeling pain at the deaths of her two summoned companions, Avahni did not shed a single tear, instead gritting her teeth and summoning two more creatures from within her Water Mana Core.

  [Annwn Boann; Aquatic Ordnance Staghorn].

  [Cualli; Carnivorous Thorn Water Lily].

  Fragment Of Coral and Fragment Of Lilypad appearing beside her in an instant, both activating their effects the moment both their manifestations solidified.

  An explosive volley of water natured spiritual energy raining down on Theodore and Itsumade. Spiritual water-constructs released from the cannon-shaped corals of Annwn Boann without any concern for mana expenditure.

  Cualli on the other hand, slithered across the surface of the chamber, extending its thorned-roots in every direction around the Quiet Death Of Light And Virtue. Although somewhat limited outside of a water source, both were just as capable of expending their lifeforce in order to activate their respective effects.

  Avahni expending spiritual energy without any concern for her dwindling reserves or personal wellbeing. Asherah-Shamrock Hair gleaming as she boosted the effects of all abilities with the Summon Trait. Imaginary Princess Of The Round Table boosting them all even further, strengthening them to a degree that she did not think possible.

  Grendel crashing into Itsumade without any regard for the eye that the eyeless-bat had clawed out. One of its wings bent and broken in a direction that would have needed a month to heal on its own, several claw marks visible on its neck and underbelly.

  Oodles of blood pouring out as it tried chomping down on the throat of its opponent. Itsumade’s strength exceeding its own as the hulking-giant of a dragon was pushed into the barrage launched at it by the Aquatic Ordinance Staghorn.

  Concussive blasts of water natured spiritual energy colliding with the Stone-Mountain Bulwark blasting off pieces of thick, earthen-scales and causing Grendel to bellow in pain. Itsumade taking advantage of this momentary lapse in control in order to thrust the full length of its arm through the chest of the stone-mountain dragon.

  Piercing through flesh and hardened muscle in order to grasp its pseudo-draconic heart and crush it within its hand. Grendel clawing at the chest of the blood-night acerodon before growing limp and vanishing into motes of earth natured spiritual energy…

  Itsumade panting heavily as it dodged another wave of wind slashes and fireballs launched towards it. Eyeless face once again glancing in the direction of his master and summoner before feeling an emotion of shock ripple through Theodore’s Throne Of Dark-Knowledge.

  The two-layered barriers that cordoned off Jon, Shamael, Regulus and Raflea crackling and vanishing as the sound of shattering glass echoed throughout the Hive-Womb Capital.

  A white-armoured figure lifting his head in the direction of his fellow human-

  Before the monstrous figure of the Incarnation Of The Hunt manifested itself directly above him.

  Break.

  Theodore felt the threads that wrapped around Nicolai’s conscious and subconscious minds snap with a resounding bang, as though someone had just severed a steel-cable holding up a suspension bridge. The ripples that flowed back into Lacrimosa caused his brows to twitch and the focus of his attention to turn away from Itsumade.

  His threads of mind natured spiritual energy recoiling in shock as the last thing that flowed from Nicolai into his Throne Of Dark-Knowledge was-.

  ‘Fear… Overwhelming fear and horror.’

  Noticing Itsumade kill the Slithering-Armour Orochi, Theodore ignored his pleas for assistance, instead focusing on the freshly stolen summoned companion now thrashing against the metaphysical prison of lie natured spiritual energy he had trapped it in.

  The Incarnation Of The Hunt was a fearsome beast indeed, one wrought from the purest, most unfiltered wrath in existence.

  “I’m going to devour you piece by piece you filthy primate! My shadow will rend flesh from bone and devour you organ by organ until there is nothing left but the foul stench of your rotten existence!”

  There were quite a number of things that Ler Setanta shouted at him, although most were too deplorable to utter out loud.

  He had stolen Avahni’s Fragment Of Ichthyosaur knowing that it was the only summoned companion that he had encountered that could fight Itsumade evenly, even still constrained by its own Mortality. Both possessing the same inherent mutation which increased their mental faculties and physical capabilities, some related to “forbidden knowledge” which Itsumade refused to tell him about.

  Despite having just lost the Vessel Of The Metallic Mountain, Theodore did not appear bothered at all, having just found the greatest replacement that a man could ask for.

  Nicolai’s death was a tragic accident indeed, although one that seemed to work in his favour.

  Mind natured spiritual energy forming numerous threads as they extended their way into his Knowledge Mana Core. Considering that he had just stolen the concepts contained within this single Fragment Of Ichthyosaur, Theodore could not help but chuckle softly as he wormed his Memento Source Item deeper and deeper into the defenceless mind of the Incarnation Of The Hunt.

  Lacking a Fragment Of Mind or even a Fragment Of Will that could resist offensive mental effects, Ler Setanta could do nothing but viscerally thrash from within his lie natured prison. Formless threads enveloping his concepts and five senses, blurring what he could discern as ‘real’ and ‘illusory.’

  Who he thought was ‘Theodore’ was actually ‘Jon.’

  Who he thought was ‘Theodore’ was actually ‘Jibril.’

  Who he thought was ‘Theodore was actually ‘Avahni.’

  Concept manipulation was beyond the Mindless Thread Control right this moment. Memory and sensory manipulation was the limit given that it was a Memento Source Item that he had obtained at Knighthood. Given that it was a summoned companion it was significantly easier to control in comparison than a Shamael or Nicolai, although such a connection often caused emotions from both parties to overflow into one another, a problem which Theodore also had to deal with.

  His Throne Of Dark-Knowledge enveloped in a shadowy sea of wrath and hatred. For a single moment, Theodore felt his eyes widen as his conscious and subconscious mind was exposed to the overwhelming anger that formed the Incarnation Of The Hunt.

  Until that is-.

  [Malignant Knowledge Art; Swallowed Memory Maw].

  [Lost Knowledge Art; Glitched Information Haze].

  [Mine Is The Black Erasure Of Knowledge].

  And-.

  [Threading Life Art; Puppetry Prana Seal].

  Fragment Of Devour used on himself in order to consume the knowledge that flowed into him from the Incarnation Of The Hunt. Memories, feelings and experiences condensed into a single point, an amalgamation of external influences that Theodore did not want in his mind.

  Fragment Of Phantasmal-Knowledge used to expel said external influences from his mind. If used on others it could prevent them from recalling specific memories, although when used on himself Theodore focused on just the knowledge that flowed into him from Ler Setanta.

  Fragment Of Mindless-Erasure used to enhance the two, strengthening their effects so that nothing lingered within his imaginary mental construct.

  While his Fragment Of Lifeforce was used to tighten his control over the indomitus shastasaurus. The Fragment Of Marionette that he integrated into at Knighthood adding on effects that allowed him to thread strings of life natured spiritual energy into that of an unwilling target, essentially imbuing them with a sympathetic curse.

  Damage that Ler Setanta would receive would remain his own.

  While damage that he would receive would be shared with Ler Setanta.

  It transformed his target into a puppet.

  One that would dance to his tune, lest Theodore would dare harm himself in order to share his pain with his marionette.

  Upon integrating that final fragment and elevating all of his abilities from Mortality to Knighthood, Itsumade could not help but grimace, understanding Theodore just that tiny bit more. Abilities that centred around social manipulation, lie enhancement, and mental control were not unique throughout the integrated universes by any means.

  Karma Mana Cores were capable of producing some of the greatest connection-based abilities in existence. Regardless of whether time or darkness overwhelmed an environment, karmic ties still maintained their metaphysical shape even as the world around them was being swallowed up into nothingness.

  Death Mana Cores transform living beings into undead existences. For whom concepts such as ‘lifeforce,’ ‘longevity,’ and ‘death’ did not exist.

  World Mana Cores could manifest abilities that sprouted into small realms. Worlds that could produce their own fragments, lifeforms, concepts and even Dungeons if one took their abilities to the absolute zenith!

  Mystery Mana Cores produced some of the best concealment-type abilities Itsumade had ever seen. What could be more unknown than a ‘mystery’? And what can evoke senses of curiosity better than a ‘mystery’?

  Theft Mana Core existed and were just as capable of stealing abilities as it was as stealing lifeforce or forbidden knowledge. The theft of System Acknowledged Feats was perhaps one of the grandest achievements that Itsumade could remember off the top of his head.

  Despite everything that Itsumade had ever seen, he had one thing to say about the Murder Of Temperance And Humility.

  “He is not the strongest Knight I have ever encountered. He is not the fasted Knight, nor is he the greatest creationist. He is not the smartest, nor is he the most cunning.”

  “But… I can say with absolute certainty, that he is the Knight that possesses the strongest affinity for mental manipulation. It might not even be an outwardly pronounced Source just that his personality is so twisted that his view of the world has grown distorted.”

  Theodore grinning as he watched Jon sprint through the broken shards of Raflea’s light natured barrier. His hand extended forward in his direction, lie natured spiritual energy surging as he manifested his stolen ability.

  “I pity the world that he returns too after the System Integration is concluded.”

  [Ler Setanta; Incarnation Of The Hunt].